Elizabeth was back in Hong Kong last week for her 2nd Hong Kong FILMART. In her role as Head of the China Task Force for the Producer’s Guild of America, Elizabeth organized and moderated a star-studded panel titled Building a Better Franchise: IP, Story, Brands and Audience. The panel was comprised of successful global producers David Miles Uslan (Thunder Agents), Nansun Shi (Once Upon A Time In China, Young Detective Dee — Rise of the Sea Dragon), Dongbing Shan (The Expendables) and Doug Mitchell, fresh off of SIX Oscar™ wins for Mad Max: Fury Road. The producers spoke to a standing room only audience about the lessons they’ve learned in developing their worldwide franchises. Having worked in China, Australia,Hong Kong, and the USA they all had different perspectives to contribute, but a clear theme (and long-time mantra of Elizabeth’s) emerged: no project will gain traction without a great story at its core. Following the event, Elizabeth and panel members were treated to a fantastic reception up on The Peak at the home of the US Consul General to Hong Kong. The panel and reception were co-organized with the US Consulate Commercial Services of Hong Kong and Guangzhou.

(L to R) Nansun Shi, Elizabeth Dell, Doug Mitchell

It was a particularly buzzy year at FILMART in the wake of China’s record-breaking box office of the past year. It is an exciting time to be engaged in the Chinese marketplace and the turnout at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center certainly reflected that. FILMART is Asia’s largest film and entertainment marketplace, and is hosted by the Hong Kong Trade and Development Council.